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Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis" Cockpit in Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall

"Our messenger of peace and goodwill has broken down another barrier of time and space." So spoke President Calvin Coolidge about Charles A. Lindbergh’s extraordinary solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Not until the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 was the entire world again as enthusiastic about an aviation event as it was when Lindbergh landed his little Ryan monoplane in Paris.

Spirit of St. Louis

Nose of the Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis". After his historic nonstop solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh took the aircraft first on a US tour and then on a goodwill flight to Central and South America. Flags of the countries he visited were painted on the cowling.

The Spirit of St. Louis arrives at the Smithsonian

The Spirit of St. Louis went on public display on May 13, 1928, one week short of the first anniversary of Lindbergh’s epic transatlantic flight.

Spirit of St. Louis lowered for conservation

The <em>Spirit of St. Louis</em> was lowered January 14, 2015 as part of the <em>Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall</em> renovation. Visitors can observe the Museum’s conservation staff while they clean and preserve the artifact.

Spirit of St. Louis lowered to gallery floor

The <em>Spirit of St. Louis</em> was lowered January 14, 2015 as part of the <em>Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall</em> renovation. Visitors can observe the museum’s conservation staff while they clean and preserve the artifact.

Spirit of St. Louis on the gallery floor

The Spirit of St. Louis was lowered January 14, 2015 as part of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall renovation. Visitors can observe the museum’s conservation staff while they clean and preserve the artifact.

Spirit of St. Louis in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall

In January of 2015, the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis was lowered to the ground to begin assessing it for conservation work.

"Spirit of St. Louis" Lowered in Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall

The "Spirit of St. Louis" was lowered to the floor of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall" on January 14, 2015 as part of the exhibition's renovation.

"Spirit of St. Louis" Signatures

Close-up of signatures etched onto the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis.

Detail of the "Spirit of St. Louis"

Close-up shot of the the Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis."

Spirit of St. Louis in Exhibition

Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis on the floor of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

Spirit of St. Louis in Arts & Industries Building

Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis was installed in the North Hall of the Smithsonian Institution's Arts & Industries Building on May 13, 1928. It was suspended just above the exhibit cases and its popularity with the public brought new attention to aeronautical collection from Smithsonian leadership. Paul Garber, who collected the aircraft and most of the early aeronautical collectton, recalled years later that acquiring the Spirit of St. Louis was "the turning point," and it "gave a much greater breadth to the subject of aeronautics" within the Smithsonian Institution.

Lindbergh wasn't the first to fly across the Atlantic. In fact, more than 100 people made the journey before him. But he was the first to do it solo. The crew of the NC-4, shown here, completed the flight successfully, reaching Plymouth, England via Lisbon, Portugal on May 31, 1919.

Juan Trippe and Charles A. Lindbergh

Juan Trippe (left) and Charles A. Lindbergh standing in front of a Pan American Airways Fokker F.10 Trimotor. Lindbergh's famous flight highlighted the potential of long distance flight. Aircraft industry stocks rose in value and interest in commercial aviation skyrocketed in the United States.

Lindbergh's Periscope in the Spirit of St. Louis

The Spirit of St. Louis had no windscreen. Lindbergh used a periscope on the left side of the aircraft to see ahead of him.

Cowling of the Spirit of St. Louis

Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis should be aluminum colored but a protective varnish put on the aircraft by the Smithsonian in 1928 has yellowed over time.

New York city Parade for Charles A. Lindbergh

One third of the U.S. population of 140,000,000 saw Lindbergh on his U.S. tour. This New York City ticker-tape parade honoring Charles Lindbergh on June 13, 1927 featured a float with a model of Lindbergh's Ryan NYP and the Eiffel Tower.

People Greeting Lindbergh at Le Bourget Airport

During his famous flight, Lindbergh fought exhaustion for 33 and ½ hours, having been awake for the entire day before take-off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island.

Portrait of Charles A. Lindbergh

"A lens focused on the future" - "For me the Spirit of St. Louis was a lens focused on the future, a forerunner of mechanisms that would conquer time and space." — Charles A. Lindbergh

Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field

Nearly a thousand people assembled at Roosevelt Field to see Charles Lindbergh off on his historic flight. Underwood and Underwood.

Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis

Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis is suspended from the ceiling in the National Air and Space Museum's Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

Charles Lindbergh in Spirit of St. Louis

Portrait of Charles A. Lindbergh leaning from the cockpit window of his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis before his solo flight from New York to Paris on May 20 - 21, 1927.

Spirit of St. Louis Flare Tubes

Two flare tubes project from the underside of the Spirit of St. Louis that helped Charles Lindbergh land at night during his Latin American tour in late 1927 – early 1928.

Spirit of St. Louis Missing "R"

Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis was missing an "R." It was swiped by souvenir seekers when Lindbergh landed in Paris.

Spirit of St. Louis Panorama

Geek Moment with the Spirit of St. Louis and STEM in 30

Marty Kelsey, host of STEM in 30, shares a GEEK Moment with a close look at Charles Lindbergh's aircraft, the "Spirit of St. Louis."

Lowering the Spirit of St. Louis

For the first time in nearly 22 years, the Spirit of St. Louis is lowered onto the floor of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight made him a worldwide celebrity and promoted investment in American aviation.

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Collection Item Summary:

"Our messenger of peace and goodwill has broken down another barrier of time and space." So spoke President Calvin Coolidge about Charles A. Lindbergh’s extraordinary solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Not until the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 was the entire world again as enthusiastic about an aviation event as it was when Lindbergh landed his little Ryan monoplane in Paris.

In 1922, after a year and a half at the University of Wisconsin, Lindbergh left to study aeronautics with the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation. He was a ‘barnstormer" until 1924, when he enrolled as a flying cadet in the Army Air Service. He won his reserve commission and began serving as a civilian airmail pilot, flying the route between St. Louis and Chicago.

Early in 1927 he obtained the backing of several St. Louis men to compete for the $25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig in 1919 for the first nonstop flight between New York City and Paris. In February of that year Lindbergh placed an order with Ryan Airlines in San Diego for an aircraft with specifications necessary to make the flight.

Development began based on a standard Ryan M-2, with Donald A. Hall as principal designer. Certain modifications to the basic high-wing, strut-braced monoplane design had to be made because of the nature of the flight. The wingspan was increased by 10 feet and the structural members of the fuselage and wing cellule were redesigned to accommodate the greater fuel load. Plywood was fitted along the leading edge of the wings. The fuselage design followed that of a standard M-2 except that it was lengthened 2 feet. The cockpit was moved further to the rear for safety and the engine was moved forward for balance, thus permitting the fuel tank to be installed at the center of gravity. The pilot could see forward only by means of a periscope or by turning the aircraft to look out of a side window. A Wright Whirlwind J-5C engine supplied the power.

Late in April 1927 the work on the aircraft was completed. It was painted silver and carried registration number N-X-21 1, which, with all other lettering on the plane, was painted in black. Lindbergh made several test flights, and then flew the aircraft from San Diego to New York on May 10—12, making only one stop, at St. Louis. His flight time of 21 hours, 40 minutes set a new transcontinental record.

After waiting several days in New York for favorable weather, Lindbergh took off for Paris alone, on the morning of May 20, 1927. Thirty-three hours, 30 minutes, and 3,610 miles later he landed safely at Le Bourget Field, near Paris, where he was greeted by a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 100,000.

Lindbergh and the Spirit of St Louis returned to the United States aboard the U.S.S. Memphis on June 11. He received tumultuous welcomes in Washington, D.C. and New York City. From July 20 until October 23 of that year he took the famous plane on a tour of the United States. Then, on December 13, he and the Spirit of St. Louis flew nonstop from Washington to Mexico City; through Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico; and nonstop from Havana to St. Louis. Beginning in Mexico City, flags of the countries he visited were painted on both sides of the cowling.

On April 30, 1928, the Spirit of St. Louis made its final flight—from St. Louis to Washington, D.C where Lindbergh presented the aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Item Long Description:

"Our messenger of peace and goodwill has broken down another barrier of time and space." So spoke President Calvin Coolidge about Charles A. Lindbergh’s extraordinary solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Not until the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 was the entire world again as enthusiastic about an aviation event as it was when Lindbergh landed his little Ryan monoplane in Paris.

In 1922, after a year and a half at the University of Wisconsin, Lindbergh left to study aeronautics with the Nebraska Aircraft Corporation. He was a ‘barnstormer" until 1924, when he enrolled as a flying cadet in the Army Air Service. He won his reserve commission and began serving as a civilian airmail pilot, flying the route between St. Louis and Chicago.

Early in 1927 he obtained the backing of several St. Louis men to compete for the $25,000 prize offered by Raymond Orteig in 1919 for the first nonstop flight between New York City and Paris. In February of that year Lindbergh placed an order with Ryan Airlines in San Diego for an aircraft with specifications necessary to make the flight.

Development began based on a standard Ryan M-2, with Donald A. Hall as principal designer. Certain modifications to the basic high-wing, strut-braced monoplane design had to be made because of the nature of the flight. The wingspan was increased by 10 feet and the structural members of the fuselage and wing cellule were redesigned to accommodate the greater fuel load. Plywood was fitted along the leading edge of the wings. The fuselage design followed that of a standard M-2 except that it was lengthened 2 feet. The cockpit was moved further to the rear for safety and the engine was moved forward for balance, thus permitting the fuel tank to be installed at the center of gravity. The pilot could see forward only by means of a periscope or by turning the aircraft to look out of a side window. A Wright Whirlwind J-5C engine supplied the power.

Late in April 1927 the work on the aircraft was completed. It was painted silver and carried registration number N-X-21 1, which, with all other lettering on the plane, was painted in black. Lindbergh made several test flights, and then flew the aircraft from San Diego to New York on May 10—12, making only one stop, at St. Louis. His flight time of 21 hours, 40 minutes set a new transcontinental record.

After waiting several days in New York for favorable weather, Lindbergh took off for Paris alone, on the morning of May 20, 1927. Thirty-three hours, 30 minutes, and 3,610 miles later he landed safely at Le Bourget Field, near Paris, where he was greeted by a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 100,000.

Lindbergh and the Spirit of St Louis returned to the United States aboard the U.S.S. Memphis on June 11. He received tumultuous welcomes in Washington, D.C. and New York City. From July 20 until October 23 of that year he took the famous plane on a tour of the United States. Then, on December 13, he and the Spirit of St. Louis flew nonstop from Washington to Mexico City; through Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico; and nonstop from Havana to St. Louis. Beginning in Mexico City, flags of the countries he visited were painted on both sides of the cowling.

On April 30, 1928, the Spirit of St. Louis made its final flight—from St. Louis to Washington, D.C where Lindbergh presented the aircraft to the Smithsonian Institution.

Solo the Atlantic

Charles Lindbergh's flight between New York and Paris was very long, risky, and physically demanding. Though he was not the first to cross the Atlantic, Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight between two major cities. News spread quickly as Lindbergh's flight stunned and amazed people around the world.

After his historic nonstop solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh took the aircraft first on a US tour and then on a goodwill flight to Central and South America. Flags of the countries he visited were painted on the cowling.

Tubes

Two flare tubes project from the underside of the Spirit that helped Lindbergh land at night during his Latin American tour in late 1927 – early 1928.

Small Fin and Rudder

A small fin and rudder made the Spiritof St. Louis unstable and hard to fly, which was intentional to help Lindbergh stay awake during his 33 1/2 hour flight across the Atlantic.

Missing "R"

One of the "R" emblems was swiped by souvenir seekers when Lindbergh landed in Paris.

No Windscreen

Spirit of St. Louis has no windscreen. Lindbergh used a periscope on the left side of the aircraft to see ahead of him.

Title

Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis", Charles A. Lindbergh

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Do not reproduce without permission from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum

Materials

Dimensions

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Country of Origin

United States of America

Date

1927

Physical Description

Silver colored doped fabric covered high wing single radial engine monoplane. The "Spirit of St. Louis" was designed by Donald Hall under the direct supervision of Charles Lindbergh. It is a highly modified version of a conventional Ryan M-2 strut-braced monoplane, powered by a reliable 223hp Wright J-5C engine. Because the fuel tanks were located ahead of the cockpit for safety in case of an accident, Lindbergh could not see directly ahead, except by using a periscope on the left side or by turning the airplane and looking out a side window. The two tubes beneath the fuselage are flare dispensers that were installed for Lindbergh's flights to Latin America and the Caribbean.